Albion Motors

Albion Motors
Company type	Private
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1899
Founder	Thomas Blackwood Murray, Norman Osborne Fulton
Defunct	1972 (brand discontinued)
Fate	Taken over by Leyland Motors in 1951; brand discontinued in 1972
Headquarters	Glasgow, Scotstoun, Scotland, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide (including Asia, East Africa, Australia, India, South Africa)
Key people	John Lamb Murray (initial financier), John F Henderson (investor)
Products	Automobiles, commercial vehicles (trucks, buses), axles, driveline assemblies, chassis systems, crankshafts, chassis components
Parent	Leyland Motors (from 1951), later British Leyland Motor Corporation

Albion Motors was a Scottish manufacturer specializing in automobiles and commercial vehicles.

Established in 1899, Albion Motors was taken over by Leyland Motors in 1951. The Albion marque remained in use until 1972, after which production transitioned to the Leyland brand. Manufacturing of vehicles at the original Albion facility located in Glasgow's Scotstoun district persisted until 1980.

History

The company was initially founded as Albion Motor Car Company Ltd in 1899 by Thomas Blackwood Murray and Norman Osborne Fulton, both previously employed by Arrol-Johnston. The initial funding originated from Murray’s father, John Lamb Murray, who secured finances by mortgaging his estate in Biggar, South Lanarkshire. Subsequently, John F Henderson joined as an investor. The first workshop operated in a modest Glasgow site with a workforce of seven before moving to a more spacious factory in Scotstoun in 1903.

In April 1931, the firm adopted the name Albion Motors Ltd and introduced the sunrise emblem on its vehicles. Albion was acquired by Leyland Motors in 1951; Leyland later merged into the British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. Production continued for prominent models including the Chieftain, Clydesdale, Reiver trucks, and the Viking bus. In 1969, Albion expanded operations by purchasing the neighboring Coventry Ordnance Works site to manufacture truck components. British Leyland discontinued the Albion brand in 1972 but maintained production at the same plant under the Leyland name. By 1980, vehicle assembly shifted from Scotstoun to British Leyland’s Bathgate facility, although component production stayed at Scotstoun.

In 1986, British Leyland was rebranded as Rover Group. The following year saw the Scotstoun component plant incorporated into Leyland DAF, a partnership combining Rover Group’s Leyland Trucks with Dutch firm DAF Trucks. After DAF's collapse in 1993 and subsequent receivership of Leyland DAF, management executed a buyout of the Scotstoun truck components division, establishing Albion Automotive. In 1998, Detroit-based American Axle & Manufacturing Company acquired Albion Automotive. Currently, the company manufactures axles, driveline assemblies, chassis systems, crankshafts, and related chassis components.

Passenger car manufacturing

Albion produced its inaugural motor vehicle in 1900: a simple dogcart equipped with an 8hp flat-twin engine featuring gear changes via "Patent Combination Clutches" and fitted with solid tires.

By 1903, Albion had launched a vertical-twin engine model with a displacement of 3115 cc and 16 hp output. This was succeeded in 1906 by a four-cylinder model delivering 24 hp. The company became known for producing solid-tyred shooting-brake style vehicles. The final private cars offered utilized a 15 hp monobloc four-cylinder engine of 2492 cc capacity.

Manufacture of passenger cars ended in 1915; however, in 1920 estate cars based on a compact bus chassis were announced though it remains uncertain if any were actually built.

Car models

Albion 8 (1900–1904) – twin-cylinder engine of 2080 cc
Albion 12 (1900–1906) – twin-cylinder engine of 2659 cc
Albion 16 (1905–1913) – twin-cylinder engine of 3141 cc
Albion 24/30 (1906–1912) – four-cylinder engine of 4175 cc
Albion 15 (1912–1915) – four-cylinder engine of 2492 cc

Commercial vehicle manufacturing

Albion initially concentrated on passenger cars but transitioned to commercial vehicle production in 1909. During the First World War, the company manufactured substantial numbers of 3-ton trucks for the War Office, equipped with a 32 hp engine and chain-driven rear wheels. After the war, numerous trucks were converted into charabancs.

From Scotstoun, Albion produced trucks and buses—including both single- and double-deck variants—until 1980, with complete vehicle production ceasing in 1972. Their buses were exported widely to regions such as Asia, East Africa, Australia, India, and South Africa. Typically, Albion bus models bore names beginning with the letter "V," such as Victor, Valiant, Viking, Valkyrie, and Venturer.

Truck models

A10 (1910–1926) 60 cwt (2,722 kg) capacity
CX22S Heavy artillery tractor
WD66N (only nine units produced)
WD.CX24 Tank transporter
Chieftain (1948)
Clansman
Claymore (1954–1966)
Clydesdale
Reiver

The Claymore was equipped with a four-speed transmission; meanwhile, the Reiver featured six wheels. The Chieftain model incorporated a six-speed gearbox with overdrive and utilized a worm and wheel rear axle configuration.

Bus manufacturing

Early bus models were constructed on the A10 truck chassis; two units were supplied to West Bromwich in 1914. Newcastle upon Tyne also received double-decker buses during this period, although Albion did not develop a dedicated double-deck chassis until 1931.

In 1923, Albion introduced its first purpose-built bus chassis derived from a 25 cwt truck platform, enhanced with improved suspension. Bus bodies accommodating between 12 and 23 passengers were offered. The subsequent Model 26 appeared in 1925 featuring engines up to 60 hp and multiple wheelbase options. Initial versions employed normal control with the engine positioned in front of the driver; however, in 1927, the Viking forward-control chassis allowed seating for up to 32 passengers. Gardner diesel engines became available starting in 1933. Albion's first double-deck bus was the Venturer (1932), capable of seating as many as 51 passengers.

The CX chassis variant released in 1937 integrated the engine and gearbox as a single unit rather than connecting them via a shaft. Albion also produced its own line of diesel engines.

Following World War II, Albion modernized its lineup by introducing underfloor-engined prototypes in 1951, leading to the production of Nimbus models from 1955 onwards.

After Leyland acquired Albion, the product range was streamlined. The Lowlander (1961) was the last Albion double-decker model and was marketed under Leyland branding within England; the Viking name was later reused for the final design.

Bus model list

Model 24 (1923–1924) Albion’s inaugural dedicated bus chassis
Model 26 (1926–1932)
Viking 24 (1924–1932) Offered various wheelbases ranging from to ; front-wheel brakes introduced in 1927. Six-cylinder engines featured in Viking Six versions.
Valkyrie (1930–1938) Forward-control design initially equipped with a 5-litre engine; upgraded to a 6.1-litre unit from 1933 and an optional 7.8-litre from 1935; mainly sold as coaches.
Valiant (1931–1936) Primarily targeted at the coach market.
Victor (1930–1939) Available in normal or forward-control formats; seating capacities of either 20 or 24 passengers.
Venturer (1932–1939) Albion’s first double-decker bus seating between 51 and 55 passengers; a single three-axle Valorous variant was built in 1932.
Valkyrie CX (1937–1950) Featured an integrated engine and gearbox assembly.
Venturer CX (1937–1951) Double-decker model variant.
Victor FT (1947–1959) Lightweight single-decker design.
Valiant CX (1948–1951) Mostly sold to coach operators.
Viking CX (1948–1952) Primarily intended for export markets.
KP71NW (1951) Underfloor-engined chassis powered by a horizontally opposed eight-cylinder engine; only two units produced.
Nimbus (1955–1963) Underfloor engine chassis model.
Aberdonian (1957–1960) Underfloor-engined bus design.
Royal Scot (1959) Equipped with a 15.2-litre underfloor engine and configured as a 6×4 dirt-road bus; twenty units built for South African Railways.
Victor VT (1959–1966) Front-engined model based on the Chieftain truck chassis.
Clydesdale (1959–1978) Export-oriented model constructed on a truck chassis.
Talisman TA (1959) Front-engined dirt-road bus with a 9.8-litre engine and six-wheel drive; five units delivered to Rhodesian Railways.
Lowlander (1961–1966) Double-decker featuring a wheelbase ; LR7 variant included air suspension on the rear axle.
Viking VK (1963–1980) Mainly exported vehicles powered by Leyland O.370, O.400, and O.401 engines; front-engined VK41 and VK55 models along with rear-engined VK43, VK45, VK49, VK57, and VK67 variants; Australian versions optionally fitted with AEC AV505 engines.
Valiant VL (1967–1972) Similar to rear-engined Vikings but equipped with tropical cooling systems and Clydesdale axles.

Firearms manufacture

In the course of the Second World War, Albion Motors was responsible for producing close to 24,000 Enfield No 2 Mk I* revolvers as part of the wartime production efforts. Subsequently, the manufacturing duties were handed over to Coventry Gauge & Tool Co.

External links